Wrestling, spectacle and signature moves: the SmackDown / WWE series brought the ring and its stars into living rooms. RomWize re-ranks the best entries by its re-evaluated scores, each with its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain remains a PS2 wrestling peak. Snappy combat, brutal animations and an addictive career mode. An absolute reference for the era."
"WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth kicks off THQ's modern formula. Huge roster, polished ring atmosphere and a fun season mode. A key step in the PS2 line."
"WWF No Mercy, the absolute peak of console wrestling. Over fifty superstars, deep modes and the ultimate AKI engine. Everything works: the grapple rigour, the wealth of content, the freedom of creation, the storytelling of matches. Twenty-five years on, nobody has really done better."
"WWF WrestleMania 2000, the last step before No Mercy. Attitude Era roster, beefed-up modes and the AKI engine in full maturity. The formula already brushes perfection, and only its direct successor surpasses it. Excellent wrestling and the first truly great WWF game on the platform."
"WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 further refines THQ's formula. Expanded career modes, finer animations and an updated roster. A major step before the 2007 high."
"WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw merges the two WWE divisions. Doubled roster, richer solo modes and solid gameplay. A good gateway to THQ's modern franchise on PS2."
"WWF SmackDown! 2 Know Your Role considerably improves on its predecessor with more superstars, enriched season mode and improved Create-A-Superstar system. One of PS1's finest wrestling games, a genre reference with its fidelity to WWF characters and gameplay quality."
"WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It accompanies the WWF to WWE transition. Snappy arcade combat, era roster and light story mode. More dated, but pleasant for nostalgics."
